Regulation 7(2) inserts a new definition of "Doctors'
Retainer Scheme", in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the 1995
Regulations. This adopts the definition in paragraph 39 of the
Statement referred to. State what this definition is and why the
text of it was not set out here.

2. The Statement referred to is the Statement of Fees and
Allowances payable to General Medical Practitioners in England
and Wales, published by the Secretary of State in accordance with
regulation 34 of the National Health Service (General Medical
Services) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/635). A copy of paragraph
39 of that Statement is annexed to this Memorandum.

3. As the text of paragraph 39 is disproportionately long
in comparison with existing definitions in paragraph 1 of Schedule
2 to the 1995 Regulations, it was thought preferable to incorporate
paragraph 39 by reference in the definition of "Doctors'
Retainer Scheme" rather than reproduce the substance of that
paragraph in the definition. It was also thought that, as the
principal users of the definition would be officers of the Department's
NHS Pensions Agency, or general medical practitioners or their
advisers - all of whom are familiar with, and have ready access
to, the Statement - such incorporation by reference was likely
to prove more convenient to readers of the 1995 Regulations than
a free-standing definition.

4th November 1997

Extract from Statement of Fees and Allowances Payable
to General Medical Practitioners in England and Wales

DOCTORS' RETAINER SCHEME

Arrangements for general practice sessions

39.1 Clinical tutors will arrange for doctors in the Scheme
to do service sessions in general practice where the doctor so
wishes and the clinical tutor agrees. The service sessions will
be undertaken in practices considered suitable for this purpose
by the Regional Postgraduate Education Committee (in Wales, the
Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education)
who will have the views of Regional Advisors in General Practice
(in Wales, the Postgraduate Dean) available to them. The doctor
will undertake the sessions as an assistant employed by the practice
concerned. The time the doctor works in the practice will be a
matter for agreement between the doctor, the members of the practice
and the clinical tutor; and their terms of employment will be
a matter for agreement between the doctor and the members of the
practice. The Scheme is primarily intended to help women doctors
to keep in touch with general practice but there is no bar to
men being included in it.

Payment

39.2 Payments will be made by the HA up to a maximum of the
appropriate fee for a notional half-day per week to practitioners
who employ a member of the Scheme as an assistant. The practice
should inform the HA of any increase or decrease in the time the
doctor spends in the practice from that notified to the HA so
that any adjustment due can be made to the payments.

Level of Fee

39.3 The fee shown in paragraph 1/Schedule 1 is that appropriate
for a notional half-day of 3.5 hours. The practice concerned should
agree with the HA the number of notional half-days given to the
practice by the member of the Scheme in any convenient period,
e.g., of 3 months.

Other arrangements

39.4 All other arrangements are the responsibility of the
NHS Executive (in Wales, the Welsh Office) in conjunction with
the appropriate Advisory Committee and clinical tutors working
under the auspices of Postgraduate Deans and Regional Postgraduate
Medical Committees.